First of all it is essential to make a note that any serious discussion, relating to the future of marriage should represent the clear understanding of the evolvement of the institute of marriage from its historical perspective. Additional emphasis in such case should be put on the core reason of its transformation within the time. There are the cases when the individuals, who are tending to “re-institutionalization” of marriage, do not understand the core reason of its transformation – such as the fact that less than 50 years ago it has played the stronger role in terms of regulation of the social life than it plays now (Hodder, 2004).
For the durable timeframe and in different societies - both in developed and developing countries, the marriage was mainly associated with the options of getting the right in-laws rather than pertained to choosing a beloved person to live with. For instance, in the band-level societies of the small scales of the distant ancestors, the strangers were turned by the marriage alliances into the relatives, and in such way, the interdependencies were created among the groups, which in other circumstances, might consider each other as enemies.
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In the process of development of the large status and wealth differentials in the ancient world, the institute of marriage has transformed into the coercive and exclusionary form. That is why, people were tending to orchestrate advantageous marriage interrelations with the particular families, while at the same time, they were tending to omit incurring obligations to others. In such manner, the marriage has been transferred into the tool of consolidation of wealth among the representatives of the upper classes as well as it was frequently applied into the practice as an approach towards finalization of the peace treaties or for establishment of the forged military coalitions (Reeves, 2014)
While referring to the current state of affairs in the institute of marriage, it is essential to refer to the fact that in the late 20 th century, the far-reaching and wrenching role has been attributed to the marriage. Some type of revolution has occurred in terms of values, purpose as well as the core principles of marriage. For instance, the revolution in the family diversity has made the significant changes in the labor organization, entertainment as well as redistribution to dependents and caregiving. In such way, significant number of individuals has been liberated from socially-imposed restrictive statuses, while others were stripped of the systems of the customary support and the corresponding rules and behaviors (while the new rules and behaviors have not been already set in a clear manner) (Gabel, 2016).
Marriage revolution has left both winners and losers. The outcomes of such change may be traced in the contemporary society as well as the implications of the marriage revolution make their projection for the further generation and thus, for their institute of marriage. It is obvious that there is no need of making attempts for turning back to the initially-stated family order. Instead of that, there is a need of taking in consideration the lessons from its historical evolvement and their further incorporation into the contemporary institute of family and marriage.
It is possible to make a statement that the future of marriage in America will be strong because of consumer benefits, cultural ideology, and the social beliefs. This claim may be supported by the set of the following evident facts and factors. First of all, the marriage is not limited to the extinction verge. The lion share of the cohabiting couples eventually makes a decision of getting married. They marry either to each other or chose other partners for life. In addition, the U.S. culture still perceives the well-functioning marriage as an effective and useful tool for interpersonal commitments’ organization and improvement of the human well-being. At the same time, it is essential to note that the current climate of personal choice, which is mainly fueled by the gender equality, the required set of the traits, behavioral aspects as well as the skills is significantly different from the historically-established trends. For instance, less than 50 years ago marriages were based on such factor as the division of authority and labor. That is why, those families, where these rules were rejected, have represented less stable marriages in comparison to those couples, which have followed such social order.
Currently, everything has changed and the new trend is already set for the further generations. For instance, intelligence and education is preferred by men to the housekeeping and cooking abilities of women. It means that in U.S. society, properly-educated and high earning women have the higher potential of being successful in family life and thus, have fewer chances for divorce. This trend is partly caused by the fact that such women are aware of their rights and thus, are more competent in terms of organization of family order, property issues as well as they represent the higher rate of financial independence. It is claimed by the scholars that those spouses, who share the house work and are successful in their professional activities, currently have (and will furthermore have) more stable marriages (Coontz, 2008).
To conclude it is possible to make a statement that the cultural ideology of family relations, consumer benefits, and the social beliefs shapes the institute of marriage in US and forms the new ideology, which in in compliance with the rules and regulations of the world of the 21 st century- innovative and demanding in all areas of human lives.
References
Coontz, S. (2008) The Future of Marriage. Retrieved from: http://www.cato-unbound.org/2008/01/14/stephanie-coontz/future-marriage
Gabel, A. (2016) The Marriage Crisis. Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/02/how-to-save-marriage-in-america/283732/
Hodder, H.F. (2004) The Future of Marriage. Retrieved from: http://harvardmagazine.com/2004/11/the-future-of-marriage.html
Reeves, R.V. (2014) How to Save Marriage in America. Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/02/how-to-save-marriage-in-america/283732/
